Is your dad a travel dad? A time-strapped dad? A sporty dad? An armchair sports dad?

Whatever description fits we’re pretty sure the dad in your life isn’t hoping for socks or a tie this Father’s Day. Here’s our Father’s Day tech gift guide that has something for every dad — from the conventional to the offbeat.

Here is a video with our shopping tour for dad and some gift ideas for tech toys for Father’s Day gifts.

And here’s our Father’s Day tech gift guide that has something for every dad — from the conventional to the offbeat:

Time-strapped Dad

OK, so you may not want to shell out $1,500 to get dad the latest in wearable computers, Google Glass. But there is a very useful — and suitably geekish — alternative at a tenth of the price: The $150 Pebble e-paper watch for iPhone and Android. Along with linking to your smartphone via Bluetooth and alerting you to calls, emails, calendar reminders and messages by silently vibrating, it’s also an app device that can be customized to tracking your cycling, your running and, soon, your golfing. It will not only remind Dad to leave the office on time but it might also encourage him to take time out for a run or monitor his pedalling home.

Tab Dad

Apparently not all Dads bought an iPad, a Samsung Galaxy Tab or another tablet computer, even though they really wanted one.“iPad. Any size,” was the response from techie Steve Huether when I asked dads on Twitter what’s on their Father’s Day wish lists. (The dad in our house is getting a hand-me-down iPad gen one so I hope he’s not reading this.)

Logitech iPad mini keyboard

ZAGGkeys iPad MINI

That got me thinking one of those excellent keyboard cases that make it possible to leave the laptop computer at home would be a good Father’s Day gift, either in combo with an iPad mini, a Google Nexus, Galaxy Tab or some other tablet computer.And dad Christian Newman is asking for a gift card to load up on apps, music, iBooks and the new SimCity. Newman is also asking for one more thing — time to play with the new game. Telus’ Shawn Hall had the same idea, he said time to watch movies would be a great gift.

Sports Dad

I’m going with an electronic golf glove sensor for Dad and, just to make sure he stays fit, the Nike+ FuelBand.

Zepp Labs’ GolfSense attaches to any golf glove and analyses Dad’s golf swing and sends the data to his smartphone or tablet. And I like the FuelBand, which tracks all your daily activity from walking to running, dancing or whatever else you do to keep active, tells you how many calories you’ve burned and shares all the info on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

Armchair sports Dad

Since the Canucks got knocked out so early this season, catching up with home may not have reached crisis proportions for Dads who have to travel a lot. But just in case the Canucks should fare better next year, consider getting Dad a Slingbox, a very useful set-top box that lets you control and watch everything that’s on your home television, wherever you happen to be. You can watch on your computer, tablet or even your smartphone and it’s just like you’re sitting in your own living room, no matter where you are in the world. It gives you remote control over the TV, you can schedule recordings, fast-forward, rewind, pause and play — everything you can do with your remote at home.

And if you’re just dragging Dad into this millennium, consider convincing him to try a set-top box like the Apple TV, the Roku 2 or the Boxee to access apps like Netflix for watching movies and TV shows, stream TV and movies to mobile devices and turn that old TV into an Internet-connected machine.

Outdoors Dad

BioLite Camp Stove

Do you ever wonder that we’ve become just a tad tech dependent when we can’t contemplate going off the grid and risking having our smartphones go dead? Fortunately the BioLite Camp Stove is geared to alleviate that very fear — converting heat from the fire that you create by burning sticks and twigs into a charge for your phone. And it’ll also cook your food. I learned about the BioLite from my friend Vancouver photographer and techie John Biehler, who tried it out on a camping trip and found it charged his iPhone 25 per cent in the one hour it took him to cook dinner.

Retro Dad

If your Dad likes to talk about the good old days, here are a few gifts that will take him back. Lomography has a lineup of film cameras, including the Spinner 360° that shoots 360 degree panoramas with the pull of a cord. Who needs iPhone’s panorama when you can spin and shoot? And of course if someone hasn’t already given him one of these as a gag gift, the Native Union Pop Phone is always fun for answering calls in the middle of a board meeting. And this retro corded handset comes in a wide range of colours including bright yellow, orange and others.

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